The Lion King: Continues
by Decrosse
Summary: Simba is King, as Scar is defeated - But the Pridelanders (as well as the hyena) forgot just one thing about Scar, as he had once been The Leader of The Lion Guard.
1. Chapter 1: The Battle of Pride Rock

A/N: This is a co-authored fanfic with Liam Holman!  
Timeline is just at the near end of the 1994 The Lion King movie.

* * *

As much as he hated Scar for all of the lies that were fed to him, Simba had no intention to harm his treacherous uncle. A flash of lightning gave away Scar's location.

The lion formerly known as Taka flinched at the flash and gasped at his pursuer, and he continued to leap over fiery obstacles, but this did nothing to aid Scar's efforts to evade the furious prince, for the younger, faster and stronger lion retained the distance between himself and the murderer of his father.

Simba's mind raged as his anger fuelled his energy. He was determined to get some form of justice, be it by the suffering of the bastard, or the death of the tyrant, Simba wanted to end the unending nightmare of the Pride Lands, for his father, for his friends and family, for his ancestors, for himself. The once brown branches that bore the green leaves of life were now naked, with a grim colour of deathly grey. Simba paid no attention to the task of rebuilding the land that belonged to him, he focused on confronting his uncle once more.

Scar found that the ascent had ceased and the floor had flattened and looked like a grey table surrounded by towering chairs of fire. His desire to evade Simba almost cost him his life as he skidded to a halt just before falling a great height beyond survival. The promontory below seemed to move further down, causing disorientation.

He the fell into a fit of coughing due to the suffocating smoke choking him. He stared at the raging fire that burned the dead foliage that once covered the rear of Pride Rock, but then noticed that instead of ebbing away the unaffected areas, the fire only grew taller yet warmer.

A furious roar dwarfed the sound of the crackling wood, and through a narrowing gap in the fire, Simba leapt with ignorance of the searing heat. The only thought in his mind was to serve justice for the suffering of himself and his father's death.

He approached Scar menacingly. "Murderer," he muttered.

"Simba, Simba, please have mercy, I beg you," Scar begged his nephew.

"You don't deserve to live," Simba paid no attention to Scar's futile pleas of mercy.

"Simba, please, I...am...ah...family," Scar stuttered his plea for mercy, but it was in vain as Simba continued to prowl towards Scar, who backed up in fear of having his

life and reign ended. Excuses raced through his panicking mind until he came across one that sounded the most realistic.

"It was the hyenas who are the real enemy, it's their fault, it was their idea," Scar claimed and in doing so, setting the hyenas against him. They growled

at the dark lion as they left the scene of the duel. They would no longer help the one who betrayed them.

"Why should I believe you?" Simba asked. "Everything you ever told me was a lie," he added.

"What are you going to do?" Scar continued to display his mask of fear. "You wouldn't kill your own uncle?" a nervous grin spread across his face.

"No, Scar. I'm not like you," the noble lion said.

"Oh, Simba, thank you, you are truly noble, I'll make it up to you, I promise, how can I prove myself to you? Tell me, anything," Scar attempted to escape the situation, but according to Simba, the only punishment for Scar was to do the very thing that his uncle ordered him to do just after his father died.

"Run," Simba demanded. "Run away, Scar, and never return," he repeated the despicable words of his uncle.

"Yes..." Scar said at length as he slinked past Simba, who kept a suspicious eye on his unpredictable uncle. He knew that this was too easy and that Scar would not simply leave.

"As you wish...your majesty," Scar snarled as he swiped hot embers into Simba's face, who roared in pain. Scar took the opportunity to kill Simba once and for all and clamped his jaws onto his neck, but Simba swiped his uncle, allowing the younger lion to recover though Scar was quick in retaliation pushing him over and biting the underside of Simba's neck nearly succeeding when his nephew found the strength to push him off. Simba finally opened his eyes as he got to his paws and both lions leapt in the air and met each other in a standing pose.

On their hind legs, their paws flew at each other's faces. Scar clawed Simba and he roared in pain again as the claws threatened to draw blood. Simba made his own swipe against Scar and it sent him flying, but a rogue paw hit his face and imbalanced which Scar took advantage of and drew blood from Simba, who fell on his back before he could recover as Scar hit him. Through the raging fire, he saw the glowing green eyes bearing down on him. Scar dived at Simba aiming to mortally damage Simba's neck somehow, but Simba adjusted his position and kicked Scar's stomach.

The dark lion flew down behind Pride Rock. Simba tried to see over the edge if his uncle was dead or alive, but he was too far up and the smoke and fire was starting to get to him as he coughed a bit.

Scar rolled down Pride Rock and landed with a heavy thud. This and the fire that plagued the air with smoke caused momentary disorientation, and then to his relief, he saw his former hyena minions.

"Ah, my friends," he smiled as a false sigh of relief flowed from his treacherous mouth. He knew that he had betrayed them, but could not foresee their revenge.

"Fri-heh-ends?" Shenzi scoffed. "I thought he said we were the enemy," She said menacingly.

"Yeah, that's what I heard," Banzai agreed, and both hyenas looked at a hyena who bore a vacant expression and asked "Ed?"

The hyena called Ed cackled hysterically and licked his lips before closing in on Scar, along with the other hyenas.

"No, n-no, l-let me explain, no, you don't understand, I didn't mean it, no, NO!" he tried in vain to explain himself out of the inevitable fate set by himself.

The hyenas cornered Scar against the rock behind him and then pounced on him. Hundreds of teeth ripped through his flesh as the fire dwarfed the hyenas. As his life flashed before his eyes, _No_. He thought, _not when I was so close_. Somehow finding the strength he kicked off two hyena, throwing another two into the fire with his front paws and biting another unlucky one right on the neck. He knew he was gravely outnumbered, but the hyena forgot one thing about him - or two, rather. He clawed and kicked at other hyena that came near.

Suddenly, a fiery explosion blew away the hyenas that had pounced on Scar. The hyenas who were not burnt looked on in fear and helplessness for the few that were burnt were engulfed in flames. They screamed in utter pain until Scar raised a paw and the fire was extinguished. The unburnt hyenas looked at Scar with a look of fear and confusion. Others coughed violently as the smoke made their breathing deadly and so they ran from the threats in the form of the fire and the lion whose blood was pouring from many claw-borne and bite wounds, most were around the neck.

One hyena decided to risk approaching the lion, intending to leave a mark on the lion when said lion smirked as a bolt of lightning stroke the poor hyena.

"Salamu Ibilisi," Scar said before raising his paw once more, and at the flick of the wrist, almost all hyenas were set alight, some through lightning. He bore a sadistic and toothy grin as he chuckled at the suffering of the hyenas, whose shrill cries of pain filled the night with a horrific sound. Scar began to feel dizzy, due to the pain and usage of his power draining his strength. He collapsed in a bloody heap and the fires were extinguished again.

Zira had been fighting a lioness when a hyena tackled said lioness as another joined it, she took the opportunity to find her cubs first of all. "Nuka, take Kovu and your sister to safety!" She commanded the young lion and ran off not giving him time to respond, who as much as he didn't like his little brother listened and gently picked up his brother as Vitani ran along side him, though hot embers landed in front of the trio prompting Nuka to order Vitani onto his back, he'd deal with the pain of sharp little claws if it meant they lived to see another day and jumped the rest of the distance off Pride Rock and ran to the safety cave.

"Argh, the fire's getting too close!" Banzai commented.

"Let's give this bastard what he deserves!" Shenzi suggested.

"What's more important? This worthless traitor or our lives?" Banzai asked.

"Good point," Shenzi conceded before the hyenas that were not burned to death fled the scene.

Scar remained motionless but was somehow still breathing. Blood poured into his eye, making his vision of the orange flames that strangely seemed to slow down turn crimson red. He was in shock of the suddenness of his downfall, but he felt no pain, only numbness. He screamed in pain as the fire burned his fur and skin at a horrendously slow pace, and then the fire seemed to freeze.

"SCAR!" a female voice cried. Scar would have sighed in relief had it not been for his pain and shock, for the voice belonged to his former mate, Zira.

He didn't want her to save him in particular, he just wanted anyone to carry him away from the heat, and that she did after she fought off the remaining hyenas who were determined for revenge.

She clawed and swiped at two hyena that got too close, using her body to protect her mate. As she bit into the neck of a hyena that misjudged it's aim, four bolts of lightning came down at once striking hyena.

After dealing with the hyenas, Zira pulled Scar by his mane onto her back, and she swiftly walked away from the Pride Rock that was engulfed in flames. The fire then resumed before a holy sign arrived in the form of rain that cleansed the land of fire, soot and darkness that fell upon the Kiburi Plateau. Scar felt the water sting his wounds but then felt nothing as he fell into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2: Lyin' In Wait

Zira walked hurriedly with a pace as quick as the panicking thoughts as she struggled with not only the weight of Scar's burnt and bleeding body but the ash that had settled in her lungs She would cough violently and frequently, threatening to drop Scar. The feeling of rainwater was almost foreign to her skin, but as soon as she was enjoying the fresh and cool rain soaking her fur, the rain seemed to pause. Her eyes told of a biblical deluge of rain, but it did not fall on her.

The trees had withered beyond the ability to grow leaves, and so Zira knew she was not beneath an acacia tree. The clouds descended swiftly as fast as Zira fell into confusion. The grey clouds fell into a dome that surrounded Zira like a bowl. The cloud swirled like a hurricane with flashes of lightning and streaks of fire decorating the dark dome.

Zira then heard a cold, whispering voice telling her to not panic.

"Fear not, for I wish to aid your cause. You carry one who bears a heavy price," the voice said.

"Who are you? What are you?" Zira asked with fear holding her distressed voice.

"I am Ibilisi, the Lord of Death," the voice said to Zira's utter panic. That name triggered fear even in the heartless minds of evil lions such as Scar. It was said that if one met Ibilisi, they would enter a world of pain, fear and suffering beyond description.

"If you have come for Scar, take him quickly and without pain, I beg thee," Zira pleaded.

"I come not to take your mate, but to save him," Ibilisi said. Zira did not consider Scar to be her mate anymore, but she feared Ibilisi too much to correct him.

"Please, do whatever it takes, and I will pledge my life to you," Zira promised, knowing that Ibilisi was motivated to exact revenge on the other Gods and the Pride Lands.

"I would save him without your pledge, though I am grateful. Scar is a loyal servant of mine," Ibilisi revealed.

"Was it you who paused the fire so that I could save him?" Zira asked.

"Know that I let you save him because he is valuable for my plans," Ibilisi said. "I know that you were once his queen and that he no longer shares love with you, but I will revive his love for you when he recovers," he promised.

"I thank thee from the deepest depth of my heart," Zira said. The swirling cloud began to make Zira dizzy, and Ibilisi detected this.

"I shall continue to hide you from your foes until you reach a metal tree that lies to the north-east, there you shall find a sorcerer who can heal Scar," Ibilisi said.

The clouds disappeared, but Zira still felt no rain fall on her.

Though she cared not for beauty, Zira missed the bright stars that were spread across the black sky like flowers in a green meadow. The cloaking enchantment shielded Zira's crimson-red eyes from the starlight, a sight that she had not seen since the dark days of Scar's reign began. The nights were always dark, with only the hazy moon breaking through the thick clouds providing light during the time of darkness. The moonlight shone only on the many hyenas that littered the once prosperous savannah, now composed of black soil, cracked mud and crumbling trees.

When the sky turned a dark shade of blue, and after hours of travelling, Zira saw the metal tree she thought was a thing of fantasy. She did not believe that a metal tree could exist, and if it did, it would have to be some type of magic.

The branches of the tree glistened in the moonlight like knives that lay in a dark place, reaching a great distance like a squid. At the base of the tree was a tall yet narrow hole that acted as the entrance. Out of the tree appeared a narrow-built primate that had similar properties to Rafiki, the shaman of the Pride Lands, who was also capable of magic. It had blue cheeks, a red nose, black fur streaked with silver hairs with a grey underbelly, capped with a white mane. It held on to a black metal staff that shone smoothly under the moonlight.

"My lord, what is it dat you require?" the mandrill asked.

Zira felt a rush of icy cold wind brush her fur, and to her right she saw Ibilisi in his lion form. His fur was jet black, only visible because of the navy blue sky and his eyes were a diablo red.

"Adui, I require your remedial skills to heal the King of the Pride Lands," Ibilisi said.

"Of course, my Lord, I will do as you wish," Adui accepted by default. One does not simply defy Ibilisi.

Zira approached Adui and he allowed her to enter his tree.

"De Seeing Stone showed dat de son of Mufasa was de King," Adui commented.

"The information of the Seeing Stone is only as truthful as what the viewer perceives the message to be," Ibilisi replied.

Zira carefully lowered her body to allow Scar's body to roll onto the medical ledge, but then the body seemed to levitate, and then move towards the ledge before gently falling like a feather falling through the windless air.

Zira delivered a confused look as she witnessed the unnatural phenomenon. Adui cleared his throat, causing Zira to flinch.

"Let's see what we are dealing with," Adui said as he shook his staff and the small, marble globe set between four metal spikes glowed brightly, revealing patches of missing fur, replaced with horrific burns, as well as deep gashes all over his damaged body. Ibilisi, from the outside, disintegrated into a sandy wisp of cloud and entered the tree and returned to lion form.

"Can I trust you to save him?" Zira asked Adui.

"Yes, yes, of course. You must be tired and hungry, let us feed you with a meal fit for a queen," Adui offered. Ibilisi stretched out his arm in the direction of the entrance, and faster than she could react, Zira heard a sharp snap and blinked as she saw an antelope calf with its head twisted at a disgusting angle fly into the arm of Ibilisi.

Adui muttered "Maji," and water was poured from his staff into an empty tortoise shell.

After consuming a sizeable portion of the calf, and drinking all of the water, Zira rose with determination. "If you will excuse me, I must go back to Pride Rock," she announced.

"You will not be welcomed there again, you will not achieve victory," Ibilisi warned.

"I do not seek victory, I seek justice," Zira responded.

Zira walked westwards, the direction of Pride Rock. Her stride showed determination for revenge, her lust for vengeance was greater than the distance between herself and her destination. She thought that Simba should never have been king, and that he is not worthy of the title, that he is just the spawn of a fool.

How dare he come unto Scar's kingdom and steal it from he who deserved power?

Zira glared behind her shoulders, and the sky grew a shade of grey that made the metal tree that was Adui's home look like a cut end of a black piece of string.

Her eyes moved to the west once more, and after wishing Scar recovery and a return to power, she continued her travels.

At this point, all the withered and trees looked similar to Adui's tree. They were naked, empty and bore a lifeless colour. She then came across a ditch, of which the banks squelched beneath her paws. This former river was unfamiliar to her eyes. At first, she had thought that she had gone the wrong way, but ignored the thoughts when she stared in disbelief at something that contrasted the desolate landscape that surrounded the palm trees that guarded a pond, like the darkness that surrounded those who believed in hope that Scar would be overthrown, and in the opinion of Zira, it was a travesty that it had happened.

She jumped over the muddy brook that was once a river that was drunk from by many animals, and darted towards the oasis in thirst for water. The ash still lay within her lungs, meaning her breath was short by the time she had reached the shore of the pond, but when she found a bearable breathing rhythm, and before she could think about the cool liquid flowing down her throat, she saw a group of lionesses on the other side, and they too saw her and recognised her.

"Zira? What are you doing here?" one of them, a brown-furred, green eyed lioness who sported a dark stripe that ran along her spine up to the middle of her forehead, much like Zira's most recognisable feature, asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, Vytautas" Zira responded.

"We left the Pride Lands to search for food, and perhaps a new home. Face it, Zira, the Kiburi Plateau has died. There haven't been any migrations to there for three years, and its because of the drought, and the hyenas," Vytautas said. "Then again, what are you doing here, Zira?" she asked.

"I left also, because..." Zira harvested her brain for a realistic excuse. "Because Scar deemed me inadequate," she said, not exactly lying.

"What do you mean?" Vytautas asked.

"I failed to give him a suitable heir, Nuka is a weak little runt, and our daughter, Azra, is at death's door," Zira listed.

"I'm very sorry for your situation," Vytautas sympathised.

After the conversation, another lioness, who had a dark shade of rusty brown fur, as if blood was mixed with the colour orange, alerted the group of the sighting of a buffalo. She had five dark, circular marks beneath both her orange eyes. The lionesses told Zira to chase the buffalo in the direction of the lionesses, and they would continue the chase. This caused Zira concern, for she knew that she had not fully recovered from the breathing difficulties inflicted by the fire, even a short sprint was enough to become breathless. However, she acquiesed to the tactic.

Zira was told to wait for precisely one minute. She waited.

When the sixtieth second was counted, she began to sprint straight at the buffalo. Her strides were long and fast, meaning that she swiftly caught up with the buffalo, who sprinted in the desired direction. It limped and groaned in pain, showing that it was an elderly buffalo with a deteriorating knee. Zira enjoyed the air brushing against her fur, it was a fresh feeling that she had forgotten, for it had been a long time since she had last hunted. But then, she was reminded why she feared to run. The ash from the fire once again caused breathlessness, but Zira continued. A pain in her ribs grew, until she saw the other lionesses launch like hypercars from their positions, and she collapsed in weariness and pain.

The other lionesses easily made the kill. The bufalo, with its deteriorating health, was not hard to catch and slaughter. As Vytautas picked up the buffalo, she saw Zira, panting heavily on her side.

"Marina, hold this," Vytautas ordered the brown lioness with the spots beneath her eyes, and she complied without question, sharing concern with Vytautas for Zira.

"Zira? Are you okay?" Vytautas asked.

"Do I look okay?" Zira wheezed. Fearing for her life, Zira decided to reveal her secret. "Vytautas, I haven't been entirely truthful, while it is true that Scar has given up on me as a mate, I should tell you that he has been dethroned by Mufasa's brat, and he brutally attacked Scar by doing so, and even though my beloved is recovering, he shall return more powerful than ever, for we have the backing of Ibilisi," Zira slurred as she continued to wheeze loudly.

"Did she just say..." Marina began.

"Don't say that cursed name!" Vytautas warned.

"We need to get Zira back to Pride Rock, hopefully she'll improve on the way," Marina hoped.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light preceded a great explosion of fire that took the lionesses off their paws. The fire seemed to burn from nothing, and it hung in the air as a globe of fire, almost like a star, but it turned black.

"You carry the herald of truth," a cold voice said, sending chills down the spines of the terrorised lionesses.

"If you value your life, you shall stand as still as rocks," Ibilis warned, and the lionesses complied, before fire surrounded them, and the ball imploded before reshaping into a globe, and then disintegrating, revealing the desolate wilderness of the Pride Lands.

"What the hell was in that buffalo?" Marina asked.

* * *

Nuka had a headache. His ears took in the unending sound of Vitani's moaning of boredom.

"Why is mother not back?" Vitani asked.

"For the millionth time, I don't know!" Nuka shouted, worsening the pain. He groaned and held his head in an attempt to at least lighten the heavy and burning pain in his head.

Nuka then heard a muffled voice. It sounded much more motherly than the rough voice of his mother, and he recognised it as Sarabi's as it grew closer.

"The crying is coming from around here, Simba," Sarabi explained.

 _Who is Simba?_ Nuka thought. _Was he the new lion everyone was talking about? What happened to Scar?_

"Nuka? Are you okay?" Sarabi asked with her familiar tender tone.

"Y..yes," Nuka's voice shivered in the cold rain that still fell upon the Pride Lands. He was afraid of the golden lion whose mane was a bright shade of auburn.

"Don't worry about Simba, he won't harm you," Sarabi assured to Nuka's relief.

"Where's mother?" Nuka asked, wondering why Zira had not returned.

"We do not know, but she couldn't be far," Sarabi assured, but finished her sentence by silently cursing Zira for showing no priority for her cubs.

Suddenly the small cub known as Kovu gasped for air before coughing a lot – too much for his age and size. Vitani looked to her small brother with concern, chancing a glance at Nuka who surprisingly also had shown some concern on his face about his little brother.

"What's wrong with him?" Vitani asked with panic gripping her voice.

"I think the smoke has affected his breathing," Sarabi diagnosed. She gracefully and calmly lowered her head to grasp gently with her teeth Kovu's scruff, and she briskly strode to the cave, the venue of much of the brutality that Scar inflicted upon the tortured subjects who painfully endured his tyranny. Nuka and Vitani followed Sarabi as they headed to the nearby Stone Hollow.

"Oh, what do we have here?" an accented voice asked. The voice belonged to a mandrill who was treating the minor yet many wounds of the lionesses who had battled with Scar's hyena soldiers, and even though some only required healing ointment, the challenge was only in the number of casualties, for Rafiki's skill was matched by few.

"It's Kovu, Zira's cub," Sarabi answered as she gently lowered Kovu onto a ledge for Rafiki to examine Kovu's chest.

"I think the smoke has had an effect on his breathing," Sarabi said.

"Don't worry, little one, I'm here to help you," Rafiki assured a frightened Kovu, unsure of how to deal with so many new faces. He had only ever seen the faces of his parents.

"Now, can you breath deeply for me?" Rafiki asked, and Kovu accepted and he took in a load of air before another coughing fit ended Rafiki's observation.

"Yes, I do believe de smoke harmed his lungs slightly, but dey should be okay, bring him back to me tomorrow and I'll check again," Rafiki concluded.

"C'mon, Kovu, shall we go outside and give Rafiki some space?" Sarabi asked the dark red-furred cub, who agreed.

Rafiki then asked Nuka and Vitani to take a deep breath, and when no coughing came from them, Rafiki deemed them healthy after checking them for burns.

Sarabi caught sight of Simba, rubbing his eyes as she too left the cave.

"Simba? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I've just got something in my eyes, is all," Simba lied. The hot embers of fiery ash and stone that Scar swiped into his face had continued to cause discomfort. He seethed in pain as he continued to try and stop the irritation.

"Simba, you should go and see Rafiki about your eyes" Sarabi suggested, almost ordered.

"Mom, I'm okay, Rafiki has more important cases than an irritated eye to deal with," Simba argued.

"Simba, just because you are king does not exempt you from admitting that you need help, your eyes are more important than you believe, You may have seen the horrors that no child should see, but without sight, you would not see the beauty that the world offers, and you would not learn from the mistakes you have done," Sarabi explained.

"Okay, I'll go see Rafiki," Simba acquiesced.

Simba, at last, walked into the cave, with every suitable space occupied by a lioness who bore slight yet many claw-borne wounds, and then he was seen by Rafiki.

"What can I do for you, my king?" he asked.

"Oh, there's no need to address me in a formal matter, I'm no more important than any of you," Simba said.

"But...there is a problem with my eyes," Simba said and Rafiki immediately reached for Simba's eyes, and the king stepped back, fearing that Rafiki would do something horribly painful.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Don't worry, you won't feel anything," Rafiki insisted.

"I highly doubt that..." Simba began, but Rafiki extended his arm, and Simba saw a small speck of ash move towards his fingers that originated from his eye.

"See? Did dat not hurt?" Rafiki asked. Simba shook his head, chuckling at Rafiki's ability in wizardry. He had almost forgotten about the magic of the mandrill after the long years spent in exile.

"However, I did notice dat dere are some burns on your nose," Rafiki said, and broke off a gourd from his staff, cracked it open and smeared some of the juice on Simba's nose.

Rafiki chuckled at the sight of Simba's nose coated in the orange substance. Simba, however, did not share Rafiki's amusement.

"Simba!" Nala successfully caught the attention of her mate.

"Oh, no!" Simba feared Nala's reaction. "What is it?" Simba replied as he begrudgingly turned to face his mate.

"There's a trio of lionesses incoming...oh, what's that on your nose?" Nala asked, smiling in amusement.

"It's to help my burns heal," Simba sighed in embarrassment and exasperation.

"Anyway, one lioness was being carried by another, and they were accompanied by a third, but they brought a buffalo!" Nala exclaimed, causing excitement and relief

among the lionesses burdened with malnutrition.

"It must be Vytautas and Marina," Sarabi deduced, having covered for their quest from Scar, who forbade lionesses from leaving the Pride Lands without permission, and would not be allowed to enter the Pride Lands once they set their paws outside of the borders.

"They volunteered to search for herds far beyond the Great River," Sarabi explained.

"Who is the lioness they carry?" Nala asked.

Sarabi ran towards the returning lionesses with the hope of favorable news fueling her pace.

"Vytautas! Marina! And...Zira?" Sarabi cried and then said in confusion. Sarabi guessed that Zira wanted to be alone after the downfall of Scar, but somehow got injured.

"What happened to Zira?" Sarabi asked.

"Oh, uh, I guess she wanted to get away from her...situation but how she came to be like this, we don't know. We found her by the..." Marina trailed off and looked

at Vytautas for help.

"We found her by the border," she finished. Marina nodded.

"Well, let's get her to Rafiki quickly!" Sarabi said, and they continued to Pride Rock.

"So...Simba's come back, huh?" Marina asked.

"Yes, it was such a Godsend! I hoped something like this would happen, but it was the last thing I expected that my son would return and save us from the horrific tyranny of that murderous bastard," Sarabi exclaimed. "Pardon my vocabulary," she added.

Marina and Vytautas looked at each other in confusion. They were told a different story by Zira, one that said that Scar was murdered by Simba.

"Who is the murderer?" Vytautas asked.

"Oh, of course, you don't know. Scar told us that Mufasa and Simba were killed in a wildebeest stampede, yet Simba's body was never found. Until now, the truth was kept from us. The truth was that Scar killed Mufasa and drove Simba away, but Simba has returned and he overthrew Scar, but we do not know where his body is, whether he was killed by the hyenas, or if he slinked back into whatever hole he hides in cowardice, that pathetic excuse of a lion!" Sarabi growled.

"Or, he's working with Ibilisi," Marina corrected in her mind, or so she thought.

"What did you say?" Sarabi asked in an accusatory fashion.

"Uh... Oh, how could he be so...silly? What goes around, comes around, eh Sarabi?" Marina laughed nervously. Luckily for her the former Queen apparently accepted that as she gave a quiet sigh of relief once said lioness was out of earshot.

"Careful" Vytautas whispered back to her sister.

The lionesses finally reached Pride Rock, Rafiki made his way to assist the lioness, found to be Zira.

"Dis is someding dat I will have no trouble in dealing with, don't you worry," Rafiki assured the lionesses who Zira had come across.

Rafiki aimed his staff at Zira, and she rose like dust and levitated before her body followed Rafiki, who continued to hold his staff like a rifle.

When he finally re-entered the cave, he lowered Zira onto a spare ledge of rock, once taken by a lioness who suffered from malnutrition.

A few minutes after Rafiki painlessly extracted the ash from Zira's lungs (again, by magic), she woke up.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You are in Pride Rock, Zira, but now, a Pride Rock dat is ruled by Simba," Rafiki answered.

"Yes, I know who my king is now," Zira replied.

"I know that you were Scar's mate, but if you are willing to stay in the Pride Lands, you will have to accept me as your king," Simba said.

"Of course, your majesty, me and my children have no other place to call home," Zira pretended.

Sarabi wished to lecture Zira over what she thought was a lack of priority over her children.

"Zira, how could you abandon your children like that?" she asked with disgust evident in both her expression and voice.

"I'll have you know that I told them to hide in the cave," Zira defended her decision.

"But why did you run away like that?" Sarabi interrogated.

Keeping the survival of Scar a secret, Zira said: "I just wanted to get away from it all, have a bit of space for a while, from what had happened to Scar, and Azra being unwell, it just got too much, but now I know it was wrong of me to abandon my children," Zira admitted.

"I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways," Sarabi said.

...

As Sarabi was questioning Zira about her departure, the king was called for by Rafiki to receive proper treatment for the suspected eye damage by the fire.

"Ugh, I thought you had solved that," Simba huffed.

"No, no dat was just preliminary, now I will check your eyes more properly," Rafiki said.

"Well, make it quick," Simba ordered.

Rafiki broke off a shard of wood from his staff, positioned it near Simba's eyes, and the tip of it began to glow, once again, out of magic. The light grew so bright, Simba struggled to keep open his eyes. Despite this, Rafiki saw no fault in Simba's eye functions.

When Rafiki fixed up all of the lionesses wounds, a young female lipard came bursting into the cave.

"Rafiki! Rafiki!" she cried frantically.

"What? What is de matter, Mlezi?" Rafiki asked.

"It's my sister, Azra, she's not waking up!" Mlezi shouted.

"Azra!? My daughter!" Zira cried.


	3. Chapter 3: Secrets

Adui watched the sun rise like a plate of fire lightening the table that was a pale orange sky. He finished his meditation when a dark, cloudy mass swerved through the sky. At first, he thought it was a large flock of birds, but it moved at an extraordinary speed, and directly towards his tree.

He rose regally and took hold of his staff, before diving off the tree that he was sitting on, and kept the staff in front of him. He landed with the staff breaking the fall, and he flipped and landed on the earth. Despite his age, he was an agile mandrill.

The ears of the mandrill detected a faint and cold voice which said:

 _Help was given to the avenger_

 _Our advantage will not last forever_

 _Little do they know our arsenal_

 _Blind they are to our movements in shadow._

 _Long will we wait for the soul_

 _He who will come and make them woe._

"Ibilisi, why must you speak in riddles?" Adui asked bravely.

"What is the condition of Scar?" Ibilisi asked.

"As of yet, he is unwaken," Adui replied.

Ibilisi compressed his cloud form into the lion that everyone feared. He followed Adui into the dark tree. There they saw the battered body of Scar, who bore

horrific burns to his paws, legs, arms, face and back, with almost every inch of his unrecognisable body covered in cuts and gashes.

"De hyenas broke several ribs, all of his leg bones and de fall must have damaged some vertebrae," Adui commentated on the images shown by an otherwise black ball of marble.

"The fire caused almost total burns to his body, otherwise unhealable, but our ability should just do dat," Adui added.

"Now it is a game of patience," Adui said.

"Patience? Where did patience get anyone? Only failure and aging," Ibilisi scoffed. He held a paw over Scar's face and the edges of the countless wounds glowed as a yellow light ebbed away the burnt skin and closed the most severe cuts that had allowed blood to pour from like a spout. In place of the furless skin, Scar's red fur sprouted back like grass and all physical traces of the injuries had vanished. The pain, though, would linger, for Ibilisi knew that a time would come when Scar would be most dangerous, and the Pride Lands would be most vulnerable. This was when he would instigate his plan to get Scar on the throne once more and exact revenge on those who banished him from the universe just for his beliefs. Ibilisi's dark magic also realigned the broken bones with the sickening sound of a harrowing crack of the bones instantly fusing together.

Scar grunted as he pushed himself up, the pain of his wounds still evident. He would find a river or something to wash his many cuts and gashes to prevent infection, he decided giving himself a quick onceover.

A stinging pain tortured his skin as the wind blowed as soft as a delicate breath. He could hear voices, both shallow, yet deep and heavily accented. They echoed as his dark dreams and mortal memories fill the space of sleep. His thoughts were clouded by the presence of a dark being, as dark as his deeds and as foul as his intentions. His thoughts were as followed as his vision came unto Ibilisi in lion form.

 _Fire and darkness I saw before my eyes rejected light._

 _Carried I was before I wake and see thee with fright._

 _When now does my sun fall, where does my fate lie?_

 _Why do you keep me, why do I not die?_

 _End my suffering, Lord of Death!_

 _End my reign. End my life._

"Silence with your poetry, Lord of Kiburi," Ibilisi ordered.

"When I last felt the fiery air in the night, I was in a pain as violent and excruciating as the fire that engulfed my palace. I hear the birds and feel the breeze, but no longer do I suffer pain, only the memory of my dark deeds," Scar said, partially lying about the pain part.

"Hark! He regrets his actions! You shall retain your treacherous nature, thou Kingsbane!" Adui shouted and aimed his metal staff, with the white ball of marble glowing.

Scar snarled, instinctively swiping the stick out of Adui's grasp giving the mandroon an icy glare before stepping out of the tree to find a lesser known stream that very few knew about he needed some time to himself alone to think, and was rather thirsty.

* * *

Scar soon came upon said stream, and taking his time to savor the cool freshness of the water as he drank before steeling himself as he submerged himself to wash clean his wounds wincing slightly on emerging due to the water stinging his wounds – which to him felt like acid melting his skin away. Stepping onto the shore, he looked up at the star-full sky, many which shone rather brightly. But one specific star that shone brighter than all the rest caught his attention as he silently stared upon it.

He didn't know how long he had been silently staring at the star as he had been reminiscing the past and of happier times gone by – the times as cubs he and his brother managed to sneak off to play with each other. He recalled a promise they had made, aside from being there for each other when they were needed most as he had truly loved Sarabi then. He wasn't meant to have heard the conversation between his parents and older brother, yet he had on passing by – it was about the tradition of betrothal, both brothers learning of Mufasa being betrothed to Sarabi.

He recalled giving a silent snarl at that moment, crying as he ran off to be with those he considered his true friends – and family, who happened to be hyena. He didn't know why his mother had hated these creatures, regardless he had felt betrayed by his parents and brother.

Scar snarled to himself swatting a pile of sticks and twigs aside in frustration as he thought back to what had happened when they were younger, but still not teens and later on when they were very young adults.

He cursed inside his head the foolish feline that conjured sour memories. The lipard was Ahadi, the one who ruined the dreams of the innocent cub, effectively creating the monster who murdered his brother. He wondered through his memories like the cub he once was exploring a meadow filled with flowers as beautiful as his memories and his loving deeds, but his life had turned down a dark avenue that went through a lifeless area of the forest in which he committed the last deed as a free lion. The memory of one of the many events that moulded his life lingered in his mind, for it was the destruction of his Lion Guard that confirmed the fate of Scar as a servant of Ibilisi. The ritual of acceptance was to commit an unforgivable act, such as what he did.

Scar's thoughts were then ended abruptly, as was his reign as king. He felt a sharp pain as two needle-like fangs pierce the skin of his right paw. Out of reflex, his paw lifted itself and revealed the rope-like serpent that sank its fangs into his paw. He shook it off hoping the water would delay any effects of potential venom as he dipped his paw back in the water then he focused on where the snake had landed that hissed a warning to him to be more careful. Unfortunately, when he saw what type of snake it was that bit him – an Egyptian Cobra.

"Damn..." Scar growled as a slight fear gripped him, _I should have been paying more attention!_

Scar paced, it wasn't like him to have been that distracted and he knew that was one of the more dangerous and deadly kinds thus the first thing he tried to do was not panic and calm himself. He also wasn't one that was keen to show weakness – at least, that's what he considered it in front of Adui much less Ibilisi.

* * *

Mlezi had been visiting said metal tree, delivering to Adui a leapard body that was still in a sense alive but lacked a spirit, a soul. "Perhaps this may be of use to you" She bowed to the mandroon and his current visitor that was Ibilisi, she however showed no fear to the dark being. Then the young lipard cub left as silently as she had appeared, heading back towards the Pridelands to finish her duties...

"Why did he react in that way, my Lord?" Adui asked once the lipardess had left.

"That is one of the few things I do not know, I must search his mind for the answer," Ibilisi replied with a voice as cold as ice.

Scar, intertwined with his memories of both innocent and evil, heard a voice speak his name with a chilling voice.

"Scar, what is done is done, there is no need to look back, you must look forward to your future," the distorted sound of Ibilisi's voice said.

"Forgive me, but do I not have a right to memory? I was once a weak, naive and foolish cub who believed in the Circle of Life, but I was content," Scar growled laying down with his paws crossed.

The eyes of the lipard saw an epic scene: The rain cleansing the land of the shadow of the hurt and evil it endured by the paws of her father. The son of the victim of her father had announced to the world that the true heir of Kiburi had returned, and that meant one thing: Scar, the father of Mlezi the lipard had been overthrown by Simba.

* * *

 _Moments Earlier..._

She left the viewpoint from where she could see the lionesses roaring in grateful acceptance of the return of the king. She walked to a henge of towering stones that surrounded a hole in the saturated ground, quickly filling with water. She began to cry as she crawled through the muddy path to her own lair of a surprisingly magnificent size. The walls of the cavern were plastered in intricately detailed

paintings and medicinal remedies contained in the countless empty gourd and coconut shells, for she was a shaman like Rafiki and Adui, and under the guidance of both mandroons, she was turning out to be a skilled healer, though her allegiance was undecided. She was naturally a kind-hearted lipard who knew right from wrong, but under the teaching of her father, the promise of power was attractive to her.

Suddenly, a sudden blast of cold air took the lipard off her feet. She was briefly dazed and confused until she saw that the cavern darkened considerably, so much so that she thought that she had turned blind, it was darker than the cave during the night.

The cloud that dwarfed the lipard cub reduced in size, and it turned into the shape of a black lion with fiery red eyes. It was Ibilisi.

Mlezi wanted to scream in fear, but her voice was stolen. Her fear was beyond the ability to scream. She heard inside her head a distorted voice that told her that she could be useful in his quest.

"I offer thee a chance of unyielding power, greater than your furthest imagination, all I ask of you is that you end the life of a leopard," Ibilisi bargained.

Mlezi was astonished. She would have liked power, considering her father had seemingly fallen. She was hesitant about basically killing one of her own kind. However, instead of rejecting, like a foolish soul would do if they wanted to remain alive, she accepted.

Mlezi was about to exit her lair, but the ground rumbled under her feet, and it was as if the cave rotated, and light ebbed away the darkness, but it was not a pure light. The beige sky dominated the scene as Mlezi fell from a small height. She had been transported through a short period of time and to a different place: The Land of the Leopards.

She then saw a young male leopard wandering in the savannah, and it noticed only that Mlezi was present. She looked for the black lion that was Ibilisi, but was almost alone in the scene.

"I want you to kill that leopard," Ibilisi ordered, the voice inside her head being a heavy weight in her mind, like a burning headache.

"Makucha? But...he was my best friend!" Mlezi protested.

"I care not! It is a kill or be killed world, Mlezi," Ibilisi said.

Mlezi took a sigh of regret, with her mind set on ending the life of her friend. It was perhaps the last thing she thought she would do, and the last thing she wanted to do, but it was what she must do.

"Mlezi? Is that you?" Makucha asked, bounding towards her.

'Oh, hi, Makucha, mind if I just kill you?' Mlezi thought about the sudden betrayal that she would have to exact. She sighed and accepted her challenge.

"Yeah, long time no see!" Mlezi commented.

"How are things?" Makucha asked.

Mlezi's face dropped like a stone off a cliff. "My...father was dethroned," she said sadly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Makucha exclaimed. "I'm not sure if I should say it...but, I was chosen as the next ruler of the Chui Lands," he added, concerned that Mlezi would be further saddened or become jealous.

"Oh, congratulations. Don't think I wouldn't be happy for you, I'm not gonna be jealous of you or nothin', like, Nuka had more of a chance at being the ruler of the Pride Lands than me," she chuckled.

Suddenly, another wave of icy cold wind blew through the grass and a black cloud brewed, a dark shadow blocked the pale daylight as the face of Makucha stiffened in fear as the figure of Ibilisi descended from the cloud like a fallen angel.

"M...m-aaaaagh!" he screamed as he feared for his life and dashed through the grass, his slender body darted towards his home like a knife cutting through green flesh. Ibilisi extended one of his paws that were as dark as the deepest caverns within the earth, and Makucha froze in the air. He shivered and twitched as he feared as much as he tried to escape the freezing enchantment cast by Ibilisi.

"Do it!" Ibilisi demanded as he rotated the stone-like body of Makucha

Mlezi looked at the God of Death, and then chanced a look at the leopard cub. Never had Mlezi seen such fear in the face of a living thing. The poor leopard probably didn't know what Ibilisi was, for it was a long time since the stories of the lions of old were told amongst the leopards. Makucha didn't feel a reason to be impossibly frightened, it was the natural reaction in the presence of Ibilisi.

"DO IT!" Ibilisi's voice exploded in angry impatience. The cloud grew once more and a gale-like wind caused the black mane of Ibilisi to fly.

"Ibilisi, wait. Please, let him go - I have an idea as I plan to take the King's Stone when I have the chance, and training as a shaman I know that a soul transfer isn't necessary." Mlezi looked up at the dark lion form as she spoke. "You'll just have to trust me, I can't say anything about the idea incase someone be it Rafiki or the Kings of the Past hears me."

"You need not speak, for your thoughts are as clear as your friendship with this leopard. You think you can retrieve the shards of the King's Stone for me?" Ibilisi questioned. Mlezi nodded, afraid of his reaction.

"It is decided then, you will have one year to find one shard of the Stone, or this leopard dies," he said, and the frozen leopard fell limp.

"He'll wake up in time and know nothing of this encounter," Ibilisi assured, sensing pity from Mlezi for Makucha. It was said that anyone who came across Ibilisi lived a long yet horrible life of insanity and suffering.

"And if I happen to find all shards?" Mlezi asked as she picked up the leopard cub onto her back and walked slowly towards Makucha's mother's home which was a bit aways as she listened for a response.

"If all shards are found, it will do wonders in our quest to rule the universe, though I would be impressed, for the shards lie on the slopes of the Drakensbergs and the peaks of Atlas, they are buried in the sands of Dakar and Zanzibar," Ibilisi listed.

"Are they far away?" Mlezi asked.

"Farther than any migrant travels with four legs, only birds travel such distances," Ibilisi replied.

Mlezi would have moaned in exasperation had she not been in the presence of one of the most powerful and undoubtedly the most feared beings in the cosmos. He was more feared than death, because he is death.

The distance might have seemed far to her, but due to what happened with her Pride she was rather used to traveling long distances by running with little to no rest in between.

Any other looking on might have found it ironic on hearing her story of her past. It was near identical to Simba's own, just with Hyena brothers in the place of the lion brothers. An other difference was that, the Unabii Pride soon got caught up in a rivaling clans and prides fight which trapped many herbivores forcing them to fight as well. It was during this chaos that her leopard mother Bashiri picked her up and ran, but she lost her mother after being tossed into a cave by being gored by a buffalo. Scar, her father though at the time she hadn't known he was found her and brought her to Zira to grow up alongside Kovu and Vitani then.

"Mavuto… You were a good friend…" The cub sighed, shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she delivered Makucha to his parents. "He'll be alright, he just needs some rest" She smiled up at the leopards.

After saying her farewells to the leopard parents, Mlezi soon found herself back in the Pridelands. She noticed a certain lion, the king drinking from the waterhole as she slowly approached it herself, feeling rather parched.

"Uh, good..day, your majesty," Mlezi stuttered, not exactly sure what time of day it was having been teleported through time.

"Uh, sure," Simba replied, certainly having seen better days as a Pridelander, though he was at last content.

Simba frowned at the lipard cub after a second glance, he saw an uncomfortable resemblance with a certain lion who murdered his father. Simba assumed that the lipard cub was the offspring of the bane of his father and for this, he made a pre-emptive judgement.

The cub kept looking between the mighty lion and the fresh water as she tried getting closer to the water.

"Are you a daughter of Scar?" he asked the lipard cub.

"Y-yes," Mlezi answered, afraid of Simba's reaction. "B-but it's not my fault that I am his daughter, I cannot choose my parents," Mlezi pleaded the suppression of Simba's prejudice.

"Silence! You share his blood and flesh! You do not deserve the water that he deprived this land of," Simba claimed.

"No, I do not share his beliefs, nor was he responsible for the drought or the famine, it was beyond his control!" Mlezi defended.

"How dare you defend the undefendable!" Simba shouted.

"Simba? What's going on?" Nala asked as she too came to the pond to drink.

"This freak is the daughter of Scar," Simba said.

"So? Why do you let your prejudice and anger blind you from innocence?" Nala asked.

"Simba, do you honestly believe he was at fault for the water issue? The drought was long and harsh, the plants withered and decayed. Otherwise, there'd have been greens still even if the herds had left. Secondly, herbivores will eat a little meat if they're lacking nutrition." she gave a relieved glance to Nala, thankful that someone who had some sense had backed her up.

"I'm training under Rafiki, I know your laws and what Scar did wasn't right, and my foster mother, Zira, is just confused. Do you honestly expect her to obey a new set of rules after following old laws for years in less than a day? Kind of selfish if you ask me. Now, excuse me," the lipard cub spoke, taking the chance to get her drink and honestly didn't care nor would blame him if he struck her as she heard the King's growl.

"I will not be defied by the spawn of a tyrant!" he yelled and prepared to strike the cub, but only when Nala pounced and pinned Simba to the floor did he realize his mistake.

"SIMBA! What is wrong with you? Would you really go so low as to strike a harmless and defenceless cub? That is no better deed than one of Scar's," Nala said to her mate.

Simba felt dreadful for his behaviour. He had almost hit a cub just because of her parentage. He was ashamed and embarrassed of this.

"Oh, what am I doing? What King threatens to harm cubs?" he asked himself.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," Simba apologised to both Mlezi and Nala. However, when Simba chanced a look at Mlezi, he felt unparalleled guilt as she was holding her eye in pain. Blood trickled between her paws after a rogue paw did indeed hit Mlezi.

"Oh, no! What have I done!" Simba gasped. He walked briskly towards Mlezi in an effort to comfort her in any way.

"You've done enough, Simba," Nala said. "C'mon, Mlezi, we'll go see Rafiki," Nala followed the lipard cub.

Angry at himself, Simba swiped the water in frustration and regret. His anger had caused harm to an innocent cub. Some king he was!

Mlezi paused to look back at the King, revealing a fresh scar over her left eye and without waiting for a reaction she followed Nala to find Rafiki.

Simba could try spending some time with her later after it's been treated.

* * *

The cold wind blew against the hurting eye of Mlezi and it stung like a fire was burning her eyelids. The blood continued to trickle down her face despite her paw covering her eye.

"I'm really sorry about Simba," Nala apologised.

"It's okay, I suppose he is still mentally scarred through the revelation," Mlezi said.

"But there is no excuse for hitting a cub," Nala replied.

"He is still young and will learn for many years through the mistakes he will make," Mlezi defended Simba.

"You would forgive him?" Nala questioned.

"The only thing to do is to forgive, life is too brief to hold grudges," Mlezi said.

The lioness and the lipardess soon arrived at Rafiki's tree. The mandroon noticed their presence and gasped at the sight of his injured apprentice.

"Mlezi, what on earth happened?" Rafiki asked.

Unsure whether to reveal the truth, Mlezi decided it would be better for her conscience to come clean.

"There was...an argument between Simba and Nala about my relationship with my father and I got caught in the crossfire," Mlezi recalled.

"Oh, well, we must get some ointment to dat right away, den we will attend to de wounds of de lionesses," Rafiki planned.

"I'll go see how Azra is doing," Mlezi said.

"How do we know if she'll be loyal towards Simba? There is no doubt that she shares the same beliefs as Scar and Zira," Nala asked.

"That's if she survives her malnutrition, her body has rejected any food or water that has gone into her mouth," Mlezi reported.

"Den I am afraid dat we can do no more than to wait for death to collect her," Rafiki sadly announced.

Mlezi's ear twitched at the mention of death as she held the lioness's paw, having her own encounter just a bit ago with Ibilisi.

After a moment of silence she spoke up, "I am more concerned about Zira. This isn't the first child she has lost, and even I know one can only go through so much loss and pain before they succumb to madness…" She shook her head sadly, despite her eye bothering her still.

After having ointment applied to her wound, Mlezi walked towards the solitary cave where the critically ill daughter of Scar and Zira lay helplessly. There was nothing that could be done to save her. Her body was thin, weak and failing. Already, Azra was a smaller than average lioness after a premature birth accidentally...

Mlezi sighed, resting her chin on the lioness as she thought quietly to herself, 'If you can hear me, all I ask is for one last day and night with her...'

The light that flooded into the cave had suddenly gone, as soon as Mlezi's wish was thought, darkness fell upon her surroundings.

She gasped in shock as the unexpected sight of Ibilisi met her eyes.

"Have you come to claim her?" Mlezi asked.

"No, young Mlezi," Ibilisi replied.

"Why do you not shield yourself from unfriendly eyes?" Mlezi asked.

"Because I am not truly present. I have invaded your mind so that you can communicate with me," the black lion said.

"I would've liked to be asked, but...y'know, Ibilisi isn't to be questioned," Mlezi said.

"I have heard your wish, though I cannot grant it in full. I will awaken her so you can have one last conversation," Ibilisi said and disappeared.

"Mlezi?" a raspy sound escaped the dry mouth of Azra.

"Azra! You're awake!" Mlezi feigned her astonishment.

"Yeah, I guess I will make it after all," Azra hoped.

"Uh...yeah," Mlezi agreed with a great deal of guilt. Azra had given herself hope, but it would soon be stolen from her.

"Where's mother and father? I think they would like to know I'm awake," Azra supposed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but our father has died," Mlezi announced, and this caused Azra to gasp.

"No, w..what happened?" she asked.

"Simba, the son of Mufasa, killed him," Mlezi announced.

"What?" Azra gasped, but this reaction caused her to enter a coughing fit that pained her lungs, and when it was ended, Azra spat out blood and grimaced.

"Be careful," Mlezi said. She stroked her half-sister's cheek, gazing with love, sorrow and guilt into her crimson red eyes.

"How long was I out?" Azra asked.

"Oh, a good couple of weeks," Mlezi replied.

"Bloody hell!" Azra raised her voice, but she fell into another violent coughing fit, and when she eventually escaped the prison of coughing, she decided to say her last

words before it was too late.

"Mlezi, I thought I had a chance, but it seems that the spirits woke me only to speak with you," Azra said.

"I'm so sorry, I failed to save you," Mlezi apologised.

"Don't be sorry, if you or Rafiki couldn't have saved me, no one could," Azra claimed.

Mlezi looked dejectedly at Azra, "I… am concerned, about Zira… and them; Nuka, Kovu & Vitani… Without you, what's going to happen?" The young lipard cub let a few tears fall, not caring at the moment about the left ones stinging her wound as any applied ointment would need to be reapplied anyhow. "Mother Zira isn't too stable as we both know…" She lay her head against the lioness, giving her a last nuzzle.

"I want you to promise something' I need you to protect Kovu, Vitani and Nuka, for I fear Zira will not treat them like a normal mother should. I have seen her harsh, ignorant and downright spiteful treatment of Nuka in particular, all he ever wanted was to please his parents and make them proud," Azra requested.

"Anything for you, Azra," Mlezi agreed.

"Thank you, know that despite our flaws, I love you and our family," Azra said.

"I love you too," Mlezi replied with a trembling smile.

Azra's breathing decelerated, and as her eyes displayed utter panic, her final breath escaped her lungs in a subtle cough and her irises froze.

A thought entered her mind, a thought that she would not conjure herself. She suddenly believed that she had to alert Rafiki so it did not look like murder. She knew that once Ibilisi had entered someone's life, he would never leave, and he would control them to do his bidding, and because she knew this, she knew Ibilisi had manipulated her thoughts.

"Why must I inform the others of her death?" Mlezi questioned.

"The pride will suspect you of euthanizing Azra, they will think you killed her," Ibilisi claimed.

Mlezi sighed as she gently closed the eyes of her deceased sister, Mlezi reluctantly stepped out of the little area where Azra lay, looking sadly at Nala, then to Rafiki, "She's gone…" the cub sighed, "It's better if I break the news to my family," she said.

"May she rest in peace in the company of Aiehu," Rafiki blessed the spirit of Azra so that she may find the path to heaven.

As Mlezi proceeded to return to the cave, she came across the lion who had left the permanent mark over her left eye. It was an accident, she understood, but it would be a part of her until her last breath.

"I cannot stress how sorry I am, daughter of Scar, I want you to know that I will not judge you on your parentage, and as a token of apology, I grant you the same rights as the children of Kiburi," Simba promised.

"Thank you, I appreciate it, your majesty, and...my name is Mlezi," she corrected, fearing the golden lion no more.

"You may call me Simba, Mlezi. I wish we could have got off to a better start, you seem humble, wise and kind for a young lipard," Simba remarked.

"I'm sorry about your sister, like I said, just because one's parents are heartless, evil, foul and putrid beings, they are not doomed to their personality, they can be independent of them if they choose," Simba said. Mlezi didn't want to correct instead opting to make a face.

"I agree, but if you don't mind, I need to break the news to the others," she said.

Mlezi waited for her mind to come up with a suitable way to inform the young and innocent minds of the death of their sister, and when it came, she entered the cave in which a recovering Zira was surrounded by her cubs, questioning what they were going to do now Scar was dead.

"Mother, what becomes of us now that we are no longer the royal children?" Nuka asked.

"Will the Great Plan still go forth?" Vitani wondered aloud.

"My dear children, you are still royal children in my eyes," she said. "Do not fear, the plan will not be hindered, it will only be delayed," she added.

Mlezi interrupted the conversation to deliver the horrible news. "Zira, I come to you with horrible news," she announced.

"Is it Azra?" Zira guessed and Mlezi nodded slowly with a saddened expression.

"Nuka, Vitani, Kovu, I'm afraid Azra has...hidden from us, and even though we cannot find her in person, know that she can find your heart and she will love you forever, and she will stay with you and guide you as well," Mlezi promised.

Zira subtly rolled her eyes at this nonsense. She didn't believe in the Circle of Life, or the King's of the Past, only the strongest would survive, and that Azra was not. She was born as she had died; Prematurely.

Mlezi ignored her adoptive mother's eye roll, in short giving a comforting nuzzle to her remaining half-siblings. Kovu was still too young to understand much, "You'll understand someday" She gave him a lick on the cheek before going up to Nuka. "You must be strong, for your siblings. Not physically, but mentally." The hybrid cub had made sure to speak quietly, yet calmly.

Mlezi, despite her young age caught the recent scent of her father on Zira as she dared to go up close to the hateful lioness, sniffing her fur before making a noise that was caught between a growl and disappointment. The cub payed no mind to her reaction as she promptly left the den, making her way up Pride Rock to think to herself.

Zira sighed in relief, not that there would be anything to fear if Mlezi had found out the truth. Who would believe that lipard runt? She had never really cared for the small cub, she only showed but a hint of compassion towards the illegitimate daughter of Scar because...well, she was Scar's daughter, and in the later years of Scar's reign, he had abused Zira for her inability to produce a suitable heir by the standards of Scar, and he would strike her even at the simplest of errors. And for this, there was relief found in her wicked heart when she was promised by Ibilisi that they would share love once more.


End file.
